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Padres beat Mariners on disputed run

Jul 3, 2011 - 5:35 AM Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Cameron Maybin was mistakenly given first base on a three-ball walk in the fifth inning and scored the game's lone run on an Alberto Gonzalez single, as the Padres earned a controversial 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.

With one out in the fifth, Maybin was awarded first base after the count went to 3-2. But nobody caught home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi's mistake at the time when Maybin flipped the bat and trotted to first base. The scoreboard showed a three-ball count before Doug Fister delivered the high pitch that led to Maybin's phantom walk.

Maybin then moved to second on Anthony Rizzo's groundout and crossed the plate on Gonzalez's base hit when the ball caromed off the glove of shortstop Brendan Ryan and into left field.

"I thought I just missed a pitch," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "Nobody reacted to it, nobody did anything and he went to first base. I felt like I was in the wrong, but obviously that wasn't the case. It was just the third ball and that was pointed out to me after the fact."

That was not the only bad luck Seattle had. Fister (3-9) tossed his third complete game of the season, allowing the crazy run on six hits to take the hard-luck loss. He also struck out seven and walked one.

Padres starter Cory Luebke (2-2) pitched six scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits and struck out seven.

"He threw the ball well," Padres manager Bud Black said of Luebke. "What I liked was that he was really aggressive with the fastball. I thought that he pitched really well with a good live fastball to both sides of the plate."

The Mariners' best chance to score early on came in the second. Greg Halman hit a one-out double. Luebke retired the next two batters to keep Seattle off the board.

The Padres scored the lone run of the game in the fifth. Maybin actually fell behind 0-2 in his at-bat before fouling off a pitch. Fister then threw a ball and Maybin fouled off another pitch. Maybin then watched a ball go by him in the dirt, but the count on the scoreboard showed 3-2 instead of 2-2, where it should have been. The next pitch was high and Maybin went to first base without a protest from anyone. Maybin later scored on Gonzalez's two-out base hit.

"You have to do it before the next pitch is thrown," Wedge said of a possible protest. "You have to go out there and do something. That's something that's never happened before. I think that's what makes it so unusual when you're having conversations, watching the game, working the ball game...there was no reaction there from anybody. I just felt like I must have missed one."

Seattle stranded a runner on third in the seventh. With Chad Qualls pitching, Ryan reached first on Jason Bartlett's fielding error. Ryan stole second and moved to third on a Franklin Gutierrez fly out. But Qualls retired the next two batters to keep the Padres in front.

Mike Adams tossed a perfect eighth and Heath Bell pitched the ninth for his 24th save of the season. That wrapped up San Diego's eighth win in 10 games.

Game Notes

Seattle has still won four of five from San Diego this season...Fister has allowed just three total runs over his last three starts...Padres second baseman Orlando Hudson (bruised left shin) missed the game...The Mariners were without catcher Miguel Olivo (hamstring) and second baseman Dustin Ackley (bruised ribs)...Mariners pitcher Blake Beavan will make his MLB debut on Sunday...This was the 500th career appearance for Qualls.